Aaron Gilmore is a very recent high profile, for all the wrong reasons, candidate for National who under the vaguaries of MMP and the standing down of Sir Lockwood Smith to London, saw list success for one so illequipped.

With electorate selection in labeled unwinnable electorates, it is a real possibility, when to find a candidate with ability to carry the flag, major defects can be overlooked untill a swing or other aberation sees electoral success.

The Australian Liberal party had a possibly worse experience in the Labor seat of Greenway in West Sydney. After selecting Jaymes Diaz as their candidate, the plunging polls for the Gillard Government suddenly saw a potential for Diaz to defeat rising Labor star Michelle Rowland.
It crashed and burned on opening day when Diaz could not articulate the "six points" of the liberal manifesto in a media interview. Diaz became the invisible man and Rowland suceeded against the outgoing KRudd tide.

Now, today, at their national conference in Christchurch, the NZLP have abandoned any search for excellence in seeking candidates to carry the party forward, it is now going to be all about "QUOTAS".

Skinny, white, straight, loyal, long standing members need not apply, David the first just wont cut the mustard
As regards Trev 'the Muss' Mallard not a bad thing, maybe similar for "plughead" Cosgrove (btw you are losing the hair battle), and Damian O'Connor would be a serious loss in overall electoral appeal. Now I am not advocating for any of them but they will be under threat, Cosgrove as a Lister most of all as sitting members may hold a bit more security but the manipulations to achieve the desired "balances" will include list and electorate selection processes involving "5 member bands" to achieve 45% female in 2014 and the 50% target in 2017.
A seperate Maori list will also pervade the process and a late ammendment included recognition for PIs.

It is a complete dogs breakfast and will completely ignore an increasingly rare trait for Labour representation, talent, electoral appeal, intellect, ability and work ethic.

After 9 year reign as PM by the clearly best person to lead who just happened to be female, only married in tears at the direction of renowned bully, The Troughmaster General as a positive for electoral success, and a ruthless political operator, the panty waists at the head of the party are going to write off Waitakere man again along with many other dismayed party supporters of a conservative bent, past and present.

Struggling in the polls David the 3rd has vacillated all around this and has held at least two positions in the last 24 hours, confused much methinks.
Smart politics, I think not, most of those this move will satisfy, will be already committed and connected, those they need to appeal to however, will just stay away.

And so many at the center of Labour politics claim to be educated, but to many of us they are stupid, in posession of feet of clay and politically vacuous.

More good news for the Nats to go with all the good economic news that appears regularly.